Skip to content
Bookworm
All gift ideas

Books for Mom

The right book for mom depends on what she already reads, so these eight cover several tastes. There is a cozy mystery, some warm stories for book lovers, two historical novels and a memoir.

Gift ideas

  • Remarkably Bright Creatures

    Shelby Van Pelt

    A widow who cleans an aquarium at night befriends a giant octopus with chapters of his own. Quirky and tender, and about grief and friendship.

  • The Thursday Murder Club

    Richard Osman

    Four friends in a retirement village meet to look into unsolved crimes, until a real murder happens nearby. Clever and funny, and easy to pass along.

  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

    Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

    Told in letters, it follows a London writer in 1946 who gets to know the islanders of Guernsey and their book club. A gentle pick for a mom who loves books about books.

  • The Nightingale

    Kristin Hannah

    Two sisters in occupied France take very different risks to get through World War II. A big, emotional novel for fans of historical fiction.

  • Lessons in Chemistry

    Bonnie Garmus

    A chemist held back at work in the 1960s ends up hosting a TV cooking show that treats dinner as chemistry. Funny, with a sharp edge.

    Books like Lessons in Chemistry

  • The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

    Gabrielle Zevin

    A grumpy island bookseller finds his life changed when a child is left in his shop. A warm choice for a mom who loves a good bookstore.

  • Becoming

    Michelle Obama

    Michelle Obama's memoir, from a childhood on Chicago's South Side to her years as First Lady. Honest and personal, for a mom who likes a real life story.

  • A Gentleman in Moscow

    Amor Towles

    After the Russian Revolution, a count is sentenced to live inside a grand Moscow hotel and builds a full life there. Elegant, witty and unhurried.

How to choose

Start with what she already reads, or the last book she raved about. If she likes mysteries, The Thursday Murder Club is the safest bet. For gentle stories about readers and bookstores, choose The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. Remarkably Bright Creatures is quirky and warm. For something with more weight, try The Nightingale or A Gentleman in Moscow, and Becoming for a memoir.

Check the content before wrapping. The Nightingale shows wartime violence, including sexual violence, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is set partly under the German occupation. Lessons in Chemistry contains a sexual assault and a lot of workplace sexism. Remarkably Bright Creatures deals with the loss of a son, and Becoming discusses a miscarriage.

Want something more personal?

Tell Bookworm what they like and what they don't, and get a short list chosen for them.

Get picks tailored to them

More gift ideas

Browse by mood